The renowned trip hop pioneers from Bristol are highly selective about their live appearances, and this set had the feel of a truly memorable event. Visually, the video graphics were stunning, and musically the sound was tight and devastating in its impact. The performance was also highly charged politically: images of David Cameron with green demon eyes and anti-war demonstrations during the industrial sounding Machine Gun felt relevant and necessary. For audience involvement, the set was remarkable: I made contact with Beth Gibbons when she stage dived into the crowd. The culmination came in the encore, when she was joined on stage by Thom Yorke for The Rip. That he said nothing did nothing to dampen the excitement of the occasion, or the impact of Beth’s incredibly focused, powerful tour de force.
2) Wolf Alice 9/10
My first encounter in March with the rising London band was marred by inaudible vocals; this time the sound was far better, if not flawless. More significantly, we've now seen the release of their début album, which judging by the crowd on the BBC 6 Music stage has propelled them to huge popular success. The largely young audience was whipped into a frenzy of excitement, the like of which I've rarely experienced before, whilst Ellie's progressed hugely in assurance this year. It seems almost a certainty that they'll be in the headlining set for numerous festivals in 2016.
3) Leon Bridges 9/10
I'd seen Leon in even more intimate surroundings a week previously and been most impressed, but nothing was lost on a less formal festival stage. His performances are totally focussed, and the band incredibly tight, so there's a real frisson to the experience. As in Manchester, he was relatively reserved between songs, but the packed arena had an atmosphere of excitement at being able to witness such a talent.
4) Savages 8/10
On the same stage as Wolf Alice earlier in the afternoon, Savages were one of the surprises of the festival. Jehnny Beth was a totally committed front woman who was probably the most adventurous crowd surfer of the weekend, and the atmosphere in the stiflingly hot tent was charged. The sheer enthusiasm of the audience is in my view a huge advantage of many British festivals over the sometimes more sanitised North American ones.
5) Laura Marling 8/10
I’ve been lucky enough to see Laura Marling in far more intimate settings than the main stage of this festival in the past few months, yet the more assertive songs from Short Movie translated surprisingly well to this setting. Her onstage chatter was as endearingly awkward as ever, and sound bleed from other stages was nowhere near as debilitating as the unfortunate time I saw her at Coachella.
6) Nadine Shah 7.5/10
Brit Nadine Shah was a warm, personable presence on stage, and musically notable for her rich, sultry singing voice. Her music is often bleak and brooding, in contrast to the levity when she talks, and made up in impact for what the songs lacked in contrast of mood.
7) Marika Hackman 7/10
After a late start, Marika initially seemed a little nervous, and uneasy: her music is immensely subtle, and its vulnerability means its delivery can seem unintentionally tentative. She shared some false starts and fumbles with her friend Laura Marling, but came into her stride, and the audience luxuriated in the dark melancholy of We Slept At Last.
8) James Blake 6/10
James Blake is at the stage in his album release cycle when he’s seemingly ubiquitous at festivals, and the atmosphere at this outdoor occasion failed to live up to that in the Parklife tent where he had the headline slot. Perhaps too many of those at the front were there largely to secure a prime spot for Portishead.
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